Beer ale - the prototype of modern beer

What could be better than a cold, misted glass of fresh beer in the heat of a hot summer? Quite right - two glasses! And you can not argue with this, especially if you were a real connoisseur of a foamy drink. Beer is loved in all corners of the world, and it can be called one of the most popular drinks on the planet. Among the huge number of its varieties, everyone can choose for themselves, the most delicious, refreshing and invigorating. Our man is familiar with traditional wheat or lager, but English or Irishmen are equally popular with beer ale. What is it?

A bit of history

Interestingly, the first mention of a drink, similar to modern ale, was found even among the Sumerians. But traditionally it is considered that this drink originated and gained its popularity in England, at the beginning of the 7th century. In contrast to modern technology, the recipe of beer at that time included not only malt and hops, but also a wide variety of herbs, roots, spices, fruits and even nuts. Beer ale had a rich, pronounced taste and aroma, it turned out to be nutritious, and it was prepared simply and quickly. It is not surprising that uncomplicated beer soon became literally the "second bread" of the English. The frothy drink got its name "el", from the Old English "ealu", borrowed from the ancient Indo-European "alut", which in translation means "magic" or "witchcraft". The fantastic spirits of the intoxicating ale soon spread to other continents. In some countries, he liked so much that beer ale was considered the hallmark of every self-respecting pub.

What is ale

A drink with a "witch" name is actually one of the varieties of beer. The only and basic thing that distinguishes it from other varieties is fermentation. The usual beer is prepared by the method of alcohol fermentation of malt wort. But traditional English ale - beer, obtained exclusively by horse fermentation, and for this a special kind of leaven is used. Yeast during the preparation of ale does not settle on the bottom of the barrel, but keep from above, forming a "cap". The fermentation takes place at a temperature of 15 to 24 degrees Celsius. In such conditions, the drink is saturated with aromas as much as possible and acquires a pronounced taste. After this, the ale is sent to ripen in a cool room at a temperature of 11-14 degrees. When the drink is completely ready, the cask is uncorked and the fresh ale is enjoyed, this should be dried in 2-3 days, otherwise the drink can become sour. El does not filter and does not pasteurize, but drink it exclusively "live", because having met a bottle of ale on sale, pay attention to the expiration dates.

Types of ale

By the way, beer ale also has a lot of varieties, it differs in its taste, aroma and is light or dark. Here are just a few of the most popular:

• Stout - Stout - a strong dark variety;
• Strong ale - Strong - strong ale;
• Bitter - Bitter - ale with a bitter taste;
• Pale Ale - Pale El - set and bitter;
• Mild Ale - Soft ale - with a mild taste, resembles kvass;
• Brown ale - Brown - soft taste, brown;
• Light Ale - Light - light light ale;
• Porter - Porter - popular in England;
• India Pale Ale - Indian strong light ale;
• Old ale - mature - strong and tasty;
• Barley wine - barley wine - has a winey taste, sweet and strong.

There are varieties that have a bright fruity hue, barley or even nutty. So, for example, Stout (dark ale) - beer, cooked on the basis of fried barley or malt, it is strong and contains about 7-8% alcohol.

Benefit

It should be noted that the ale is not just tasty, but also useful. And those who follow their forms, you need to know that with the help of ale you can easily gain weight. Such beer does not undergo any treatment, therefore yeast, sugar, fungi and enzymes that appeared during fermentation in it remain in full. El is rich in vitamins of group B and E, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, selenium and manganese. Amino acids contained in it, improve metabolic processes, have a beneficial effect on the condition of hair and skin. El is useful for drinking to improve digestion, it tones, soothes, dilates blood vessels, is useful for atherosclerosis and for those who suffer from increased blood pressure. But, do not forget that beer el degrees can be quite large, so, in strong varieties of alcohol can contain up to 12%, so everything is good in moderation.

On the tastes of arguing

Not every Englishman or Irishman can resist the tempting pint of a fragrant drink. But in Russia, for some reason, el did not take root. Everyone who has ever tried this unusual beer is divided into two fronts: one like it, but others say that the taste is, to put it mildly, "not very". For sure, this dislike can only be connected with the fact that we are used to putting everything in order. If this beer, then the taste of it should be exclusively beer, if kvass is kvass, and if the wine, then the taste must have its own, special. El - a drink for us is relatively new, and often the spectrum of its taste can be composed of a variety of shades, to this we simply are not used to. Such a beer is sweet, bitter, slightly carbonated and can have completely different flavors, from fruit-herbaceous and to the smell of "haze". But those who liked the drink, certainly will remain his fans forever.

El "Shaggy Bumblebee"

Whatever it was, but there are amateurs. In pubs are increasingly beginning to appear different types of ale and, of course, without attention do not remain. Someone really likes El, and someone tries it for the first time - curiosity for the sake of. Thanks to a very limited shelf life, the true English ale can not be tested with us. Therefore, quite recently, we have our Russian version of the famous drink. Beer Ale "Shaggy Bumblebee" was born in Mytishchi thanks to our contemporary, who is well versed in beer tricks - Mikhail Ershov. Thanks to his efforts today, each of us can enjoy the taste of this ruby ale.